Editors Note: This is a verbatim transcription of a journal I recently discovered with original spelling, punctuation and terms. The Lawrence Smith family ran a farm in Cummington in western Massachusetts. The season is spring 1857 and they set 530 buckets.




Sunday, February 22, 1857
Windy northwest flying clouds. Looks like March. Sap would run well.
Morning 26F Noon 43F Evening 29F

Monday, February 23, 1857
Great Sap Day. tapped 400 trees. George Tinker drew wood and tubs.
Morning 30F Noon 50F Evening 35F

Tuesday, February 24, 1857
Finished tapping the trees. (530)
Sap ran fast, gathered 200 buckets boiled till midnight.
Harmony cleaned dooryard
Morning 25F Noon 56F Evening 50F

Wednesday, February 25, 1857
Gathered 175 buckets sap. The weather looks like April, snow
nearly all gone. Calvin laid wall, Cynthia and Father sugared off
about 100 lbs.
Morning 52F Noon 63F Evening 34F

Thursday, February 26, 1857
Father and Cynthia sugared off all day. High winds and colder.
Morning 26F Noon 30F Evening 19F

Friday, February 27, 1857
Finished sugaring off, have made 315 lbs, cold and cold. Sold Old Benton cow to Mills Brown 40
Morning 12F Noon 29F Evening 24F